The Carlton cinema was hit by a 250kg bomb on 05 December 1940, which exploded in the projection room. Over fifty out of the 250 people who were in the cinema at the time were either killed or injured.

It is extremely sad to hear that the Carlton looks set to go the way that so many of the High Street traditional cinemas have gone over the years. The venue was under great competitive pressures from two multiplexes (I never go near a multiplex, not if I can help it) in the Portsmouth area. I have supported this charming venue a lot between 2003-2007 and since then it has changed hands no less than three times since Odeon gave up the lease. I really do believe that somebody should acquire the lease and transform the place into an arthouse venue as I think that it would stand a better chance of survival if the Carlton went in that direction. A number of traditional cinemas that have survived the arrival of the multiplex are now arthouses, The Little Theatre Cinema in Bath, being a good example.

Have just heard the news about the proposals to demolish the Carlton cinema and put up a block of flats. I have supported this cinema quite often in recent years. It was here where I saw the original, The Exorcist, when it was screened here as a one off. It has great character and I hope the manager is successful in his campaign to save the place from the bulldozers. Too many of these wonderful suburban palaces have gone over the years and let’s not let the Carlton be one of them – I urge people to get down there and sign the petition!

The cinema closed as the ABC (under the ownership of Odeon) on January 2 2003. A petition was signed by several locals in favour of keeping the cinema open. On January 24, the small independent chain Reeltime Cinemas acquired the lease on the building and reopened it renaming it back to its original name of Carlton Cinema.

Unfortunately, despite a huge protest to keep the movies rolling, support for the Carlton was poor mainly due to competition from two nearby multiplexes. So on 30 March 2005, Reeltime decided to close the site and it was reopened again on April 1 2005 under the ownership of Cineplex Cinemas and was renamed as the Cineplex.
Within less than a year, the site was under threat of closure again, but an independent operator stepped in and reopened it under its former name.